By Mr. Kishor Pate, CMD – Amit
Enterprises Housing Ltd.
Today, one of the factors one looks
for while buying a home is quality construction. A home buyer wants to ensure
that the home will:
- Be safe and sound for its inhabitants
- Usable for a maximum possible amount of years
- Will not develop problems over time
- Have good resale value if one decides to sell it
These are aspects which are next to
impossible to judge when a residential project is new or only a couple of years
old. Naturally, most property developers will ensure that everything looks
ship-shape on the surface even if they do not necessarily follow quality
construction norms.
Even on the resale market, we will
find that the current owners of a resale flat will undertake cosmetic touch-ups
to make their home look as new and unflawed as possible.
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| Kishor Pate, CMD – Amit Enterprises Housing Ltd. |
Banks do only a
cursory check on a project’s overall construction quality while evaluating a
home loan proposal. It has become a common marketing practice for developers to
claim that their projects are of high-grade construction.
Those who do so without
justification are aware that most home buyers are not equipped to make a value
judgement on such claims.Home buyers often select properties on the basis of
location advantages such as availability of public transport, shopping and
hospitals.
In larger cities like Mumbai and Delhi NCR, plots in such locations
are quickly snapped up by developers because they know that the location itself
will sell their projects.
Because of this, they will often
develop these projects at the lowest possible cost because their greatest
expense lies in the purchase of the plot.The situation is not as severe in
smaller cities like Pune.
Commuting distances are smaller, which means that
home owners manage to reach workplaces, shopping outlets, healthcare facilities
and places for family entertainment faster.
This is one of the primary reasons
why land costs – and therefore finished property costs – in smaller cities are
more rational. However, many developers try to cut costs wherever possible, so
there is still a high incidence of inferior construction going on in cities
like Pune.
How To Judge Construction Quality...
To begin with, a developer’s brand
is a fairly good indicator. Brand value has different meanings in different
cities. For instance, the most reputed developer brands in a city like Mumbai
also have the biggest price tags. Quality construction in their projects is
assured, but so are ruinous property costs.
In Pune, a developer’s brand evolves
more on a reputation for consistently high quality in offered amenities and
construction. Such a reputation spreads quickly by word of mouth and becomes a
benchmark for overall value and quality.
Because their reputation for quality
construction is their primary ambassador in a very competitive market, branded
builders employ only trusted contractors and ensure proper quality control
throughout the construction process.
In other words, a builder’s brand
status in a city like Pune is a reasonably good guideline to follow. This holds
true in new constructions by such a builder as well as resale properties in his
projects. The most important hallmark of quality construction is that it
endures.
There are various ways in which a
home buyer can check on the general quality of construction:
- FOUNDATION...
Patched cracks in a building’s
exterior can be an indicator that the project has a faulty foundation.
Other
signs to look for are small cracks in walls of a flat, creaking or sticking
doors and windows and improperly aligned or uneven floor, bathroom and kitchen
tiles.
- DESIGN
A quality construction project is
designed in such a way that the weight of the overall structure is evenly and
scientifically distributed.
Also, a developer focused on quality will not spare
costs when it comes to providing detailed finishing and intricate detailing,
both in the building’s common areas and within the residential units
themselves.
FIXTURES...
Developers who pride themselves for
quality construction do not allow their contractors to use cheap taps, window
frames, door handles, electrical outlets and fittings.
Likewise, common
facilities such as lifts will be by established manufacturing brands and will
be under a maintenance contract by a reputed facilities management agency. Any
evidence of obscure, unfamiliar brands should be viewed with suspicion.
- PAINT..
Cheap paint on walls and doors is
easy to detect. Good paint on walls and wooden surfaces not only enhances their
visual appeal but also prolongs the life of these surfaces.
If one finds that
cheap paint has been used, this is evidence that the developer does not feel
that investing in good paint makes sense because the surfaces themselves are
not made to last.
- CONCRETE QUALITY...
The quality of the concrete used in
a building depends on what grade of concrete has been used, what the
concrete/sand ratio is and whether the concrete was allowed to cure for a
sufficient amount of time.
One rule of thumb is that it should not be too easy
to drive a nail into the walls.
- OPEN AREAS AND LANDSCAPING...
Though it may not be immediately
obvious, the presence of sufficient open areas and landscaping has a symbiotic
significance with relation to construction quality.
The availability of open
areas implies that the builder has not made filling every available square foot
with sellable construction, and that he intends to provide a wholesome and
pleasing experience to his customers. Similarly, aesthetically done landscaping
indicates that the buildings in a project are built to last and deliver value
for the longest possible time.
The True Value Of Quality
Construction..
The average life-span of a project
that has been built on quality construction parameters is around 80 years.
After this period, a project will usually come up for reconstruction. It should
be remembered that the true investment value of a residential unit such as a
flat does not actually lie in the flat itself, but in the flat owner’s share of
the land that the building occupies.
In other words, it is the undivided
land portion of the investment that one has made in a flat that amounts to the
actual value of one’s investment.
However, in real estate market terms, the
longevity of a building is very much linked to how much it will fetch on the
resale market, or how long an investor can derive rental income from it.
From
the point of view of personal use of a flat for occupancy, quality construction
ensures that the owner will incur much lower maintenance and repair costs and
enjoy its security and comfort for much longer.
About The Author
Kishor Pate,
Chairman & Managing Director of Amit
Enterprises Housing Ltd. is the driving force behind one of the
most successful real estate development firms in Pune and beyond. Apart from
its signature luxury homes towers and premium gated townships, AEHL has also
launched highly successful affordable housing projects like Astonia
Classic and Colori in Undri and the
Mediterrenean-style township Astonia
Royale in Ambegaon.
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